About Me

I feel I am able to communicate
well and I have a good grounding
in people skills.......Basically
all humanity is the same!
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The foundation of this blog was cemented by the Assassination of Hrant Dink on 19.01.07. I was listening to Setrak Setrakian’s rendition of Arno Babajanian’s composition, Elegy. So
moved by Hrant’s shortened life by the virtue of speaking his mind that I wrote the poem, ‘Without You’ with Hrant's family in mind. The subject matter of the recognition of the ‘Genocide of the Armenians in 1915,’ is very much at the heart and the minds of Armenian's Internationally.
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I want to say: 'Thank you,'
to Keith for the Creation
and Launch of,
Seta's Armenian.blogspot.com
and Armenag for the sources
of information.
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If you feel it would be appropriate, please include a link to my Blog from your Site. I would like my Blog to be as eclectic as possible and include material from as many and different sources so long as it is relevant to my subject matter.

About My Blog

This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.

Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund (Hayastan All-Armenian Fund) is proud to announce that the reconstruction of the Noyemberyan Regional Hospital is complete. The only regional healthcare institution in Armenia’s Tavush region has been modernized through the co-sponsorship of Armenia Fund’s German, Swiss, Lebanese, and Australian affiliates. Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon also participated in the project with a sizable donation. The total cost of construction was $880,000 USD. “I am extremely impressed by the new look and feel of the facility. We, the Diaspora, specifically the Armenian communities of Germany, Switzerland, Lebanon, and Australia implemented this beautiful project through our close collaboration. I hope this hospital will long serve our compatriots and continue to facilitate numerous births,” – said Avedis Kizirian, Chairman of the Swiss Affiliate of Armenia Fund - Comite Suisse Du Fonds Armenie.

One of the main hallways inside the hospital

The three storied structure, of the Hospital, was built in 1961 and has not undergone any major renovation since then. As always in such reconstruction projects, Armenia Fund stripped the building down to structural weight-bearing walls and pretty much built the Hospital anew from inside. The facility was redesigned to correspond to current medical codes. The roof as well as all floors, windows and doors were replaced. The Hospital was also fitted with a new heating system and a hospital-grade elevator. All patient rooms now feature bathrooms and showers with hot and cold water made possible with the addition of a new autonomous boiler house. “I have the highest regard for the work of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. A standard of excellence and great attention to detail are evident throughout the renovations at the Noyemberyan Hospital. This facility is the only healthcare center of its kind in Tavush, and now, with its reconstruction concluded, is poised to provide an unprecedented level of service,” – said Armenia’s Health Minister Harutyun Kushkyan, who was present at the opening ceremony along with the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Armen Gevorgyan, Governor of Tavush Region Armen Ghularyan and Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan.

A new, centralized heating system

The reconstructed Hospital now features 30 patient rooms with 60 hospital beds across the General Medicine, Physiotherapy, Surgery, Urgent Care, Intensive Care, OB/GYN, Labor and Delivery, Infectious Disease and Dental departments. The hospital will serve more than 30,000 residents of Noyemberyan city and surrounding villages. Medical equipment and furniture was donated by the Union of Armenian Physicians and Healthcare Professionals of Germany while additional furniture and equipment will be provided by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $200 million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698

In the year 40 of the Hegira – the Emigration – an exceptional man was stabbed to death while at prayer in the great mosque at Kufa, Iraq. His name was Ali ibn Abi Talib. Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son in law. The first male convert to Islam. Also the husband of Muhammad’s favourite daughter, Fatima, and the father of Hasan and Hussein, boys much dear to their grandfather. Most earnest in personal devotion to Muhammad, Ali showed lion-hearted courage during the wars against the enemies of Islam. In many fights he bore the green standard of the Prophet. At the battle of Badr he engaged in single combat and slew his foes. At Uhud he fought so fiercely that he received 16 wounds. He was the Prophet’s natural successor. Yet, after Muhammad died three times did other men pipped him at the post. The caliphate fell eventually to him but his five-year rule opened the doors of fitna – strife or civil war amongst Muslims. Ali’s assassination by a fanatic was the sad denouement of a lion-like life. But Ali’s noble shade has not been consigned to oblivion. His fame endures. Ali the Lion inspires the actions of millions of Shia Muslims and other marginal Islamic sects. The Islamic Republic of Iran, the martial Shia of Lebanon, the Mahdi Army of Iraq – they are active political actors for whom Ali’s example is a living force.

But why was such a big hero’s political career so ill-starred, against all expectations? Was it that Ali alas ‘lacked the qualities requisite for a ruler in tumultuous times’, as Canon Sell claimed in a forgotten pamphlet, The Cult of Ali? Or was it simply maktub, written or predestined? I fear the predestination move is both too easy and too fast. Reason must have its say, surely. Here are a few tentative, no doubt imperfect, thoughts:

1)One reason why Ali was not appointed the Prophet’s immediate successor was that he was not at a crucial meeting at which Omar offered the caliphate to Abu Bakr. He was absent because he was occupied in a most pious and filial task – washing and preparing his father in law’s body for burial. So his piety perhaps counted against him, in this world at least. (Conversely Trotzky missed out being at Lenin’s funeral unwittingly favouring Stalin. Dubious analogy but...politics is politics.)

2)Ali reached power immediately after the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman. Although the Lion had played no role in the murder – indeed Ali had initially had declined the post - the occasion was unfortunate. It generated much bitterness and hostility.

3)Ali’s political base was in Medina. The desert oasis which many Muslims nostalgically consider the golden age of Islam. There politics, religion and virtue appeared perfectly conjoined under the Prophet’s guidance. But Islam’s later converts in Mecca, the powerful Quraysh, had no desire to submit to the lesser city and hence to Ali.

4)Amongst Ali’s dangerous enemies was Aisha, one of Muhammad’s wives. She later fought against him at the battle of the Camel. Ali defeated her – here again his military ability comes to the fore – and treated her most honourably afterwards. An example of his wisdom and magnanimity but, as Professor Hugh Kennedy comments, the battle had opened a ‘Pandora’s box’. Muslims had killed other Muslims (for the first time?). A fateful development.

5)Muawwiya, the governor of Syria and a relative of dead Uthman, demanded that Ali punish his murderers. But some of them had become Ali’s close supporters. That was a problem he never solved.

6) Ali fought Muawwiya’s followers at the battle of Siffin. It seems he was about to win when his opponents affixed pages of the Qur’an to the tip of their spears. Either a pious or a Machiavellian ruse. Blasphemous to go on fighting? The righteous leader then submitted to arbitration. Unfortunately, Ali’s referee was neither his choice nor was he a particularly clever fellow. The whole thing unravelled, fatally weakening the Caliph’s cause.

7)Worse, a part of Ali’s own followers accused of kufr, apostasy. By submitted to arbitration, a human thing, he had denied the role of the Qur’an, they contended. ‘Confess you have sinned!’ they demanded. Naturally, the Lion refused. His critics then seceded. They became the khawarij – those who went out. Radical religious extremists, addicted to terror and violence. (The fanatical Christian sectarians, the Donatists condemned by St Augustine might be a possible analogy of the Khawarij.) They are now technically extinct but, as my good Arabic teacher Ibrahim rightly suggests, ‘their spirit is still alive today’. Anyhow, it was a Khawarij who later assassinated Ali in Kufa. His rival, Muawwiya, was then elected Caliph, beginning the first historical Islamic dynasty based in Damascus, the Umayyads. Civil wars and internecine strife did not stop Muslims from winning a tremendous worldwide empire.

And so the Lion perished. His was a noble failure but a failure – in the political sense - nevertheless. His own party, the Shia, venerate him, stressing his high qualities, such as piety, sense of justice and military prowess. The Persian Sufi tradition, Professor Lewisohn writes, considers him the founding father of their spirituality, ‘an exemplar of all that is stalwart and steadfast in their mystical discipline’. Other, more outlandish and heterodox sects have scandalously raised him to semi-divine status. An extreme posthumous triumph. Intriguingly, Lewisohn relates some Sufi teachers call Ali Abu Turab, Father of Dust, ‘because of his unkempt and often soiled appearance’. Well, there have been plenty of ‘fathers of dust’ amongst Christian saints and hermits, sure.

I am left with a doubt. Was the Lion just unlucky? Given his many virtues, he should have succeeded politically also. Why not? Bad luck? Call it superstition, yet Napoleon always chose as his generals men with a reputation for fortune. Pope Benedict...somewhat unlucky, isn’t he? The Romans believed in signs, bad omens – Caesar learnt that at his cost, when he ignored the auguries and fell murdered on the Idea of March.

Predestination, destiny, fate...no, the priest cannot venture into those fearful labyrinths now. He will cryptically conclude after the poet Virgil that perhaps ‘God understood Ali in another way’.

Friday, 29 October 2010

Keeping a Language Alive in a Global Diaspora: Challenges and Initiatives for Armenian in the World

Professor Anne Pauwels

Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures

SOAS

Chair: Professor Ian Brown

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

SOAS

Globalisation, displacement and migration are among the major forces dispersing speech communities around the world. Moving into a new environment poses significant linguistic challenges for migrants, refugees and other sojourners, not only in terms of learning a new language but also maintaining the pre-migration language. Drawing upon her work in Australia Professor Anne Pauwels shall discuss some major challenges for language maintenance and outline some strategies as well as initiatives to assist communities in keeping their languages alive.

(Professor Anne Pauwels is Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures and Professor of Sociolinguistics at SOAS. She has been involved in research on multilingualism and language maintenance for over thirty years. One of her recent books focuses on language maintenance in the diaspora: Maintaining Minority Languages in a Transnational Context (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)

If you do not see the graphics below, click here to view in a new window. To ensure delivery, please add anct@anctoronto.org to your contact list.

Make Your Voice Heard. Vote on October 25, 2010.

Municipal elections will take place across Ontario on Monday, October 25, 2010. Every Canadian citizen over the age of 18 has the right and responsibility to a vote in their respective municipality. This election will determine who the next Mayors, City or Town Councillors and School Board Trustees will be.

The result of this year’s election will have significant and direct impact on the Armenian community, and we have focused our attention on races in the City of Toronto and Town of Markham. The Armenian National Committee of Toronto (ANCT) has been working over the summer months, meeting with a number of candidates in order to make an informed decision on whom to support. Below is a list of candidates we endorse due to their close relationship with the Armenian Community and support for the Armenian Cause.

We encourage you to vote for all Toronto District School Board Trustee candidates who supported the Grade 11 “Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity” course, which includes a unit on the Genocide of the Armenians. The TDSB introduced the course in 2008 despite pressure from genocide deniers. We plan to work with the newly elected group of trustees over the next term to ensure the students in our city continue to benefit from this incredibly successful course.

You will be sent a voter information card in the mail early October which you will need to take to you on voting day. If you do not receive a card, you can still vote with appropriate proof of residency.

We are fortunate enough to live in a country where we are able to freely choose our government. Voting is not only one of our most cherished rights, it is also our civic responsibility. It is vital that everyone exercise their right to vote and have their say on who our elected representatives in Toronto, the TDSB and Markham will be for the next four years.

Vote and make your opinions heard. Armenian National Committee of Toronto

City of Toronto

Mayor of the City of Toronto

Mayoral Candidate George Smitherman has been a long time friend of the Armenian Community of Toronto.

After a very successful career in provincial politics, having held high ranking positions as Minister of Health, Energy, Infrastructure and most recently as Deputy Premier of Ontario, George decided to take a run for the Mayor of Toronto. His pledge to the city is an expanded transit system - which will see a subway line go to Sherway Gardens to the west and a subway line to U of T Scarborough to the east, a 100 day review of the city's finances - which includes a freeze on taxes and new hires, and the continued commitment that Toronto can be stronger and more prosperous only if we continue to celebrate and embrace our rich diversity.

Under his watch, the province saw a significant reduction in wait times for key surgeries, more doctors and nurses and large scale infrastructure investments such as the joint federal/provincial community grant program with which the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto has already started redevelopment and construction.

Having attended the Armenian Genocide commemoration event this past April, the annual Summerfest in July and most recently, an intimate reception organized by the Armenian National Committee of Toronto, George is very familiar with our community's issues and has committed, should he be elected as Mayor, to continue to develop strong ties, keep lines of communication very open and accessible with the Office of the Mayor, and work towards the development and growth of our community here in Toronto.

Toronto City Councillors

Ward 22 - St. Paul’s Josh Matlow served as a Toronto District School Board Trustee during the last term and was very supportive of the approval of the Grade 11 “Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity” course, which includes a unit on the Armenian Genocide. Josh is now running for a position as city councillor in his ward. He has proven to be a dedicated and quality representative and garners the support of our community.

Ward 23 - Willowdale John Filion has been serving the people of Willowdale for over 25 years. He has the support of one the Armenian community’s close friends, Martha Hall Findlay, MP for Willowdale.

Ward 29 - Toronto-Danforth Having been a councillor in the past, Jane Pitfield is looking to return to City Hall. She has been present at the Armenian Genocide commemoration organized by ANCT in the past.

Ward 33 - Don Valley East Ward 33 includes the Armenian Community Centre, and Councillor Shelley Carroll has proven to be a long time friend of the Armenian community. She is a regular attendee and supporter of the annual Summerfest celebrations, Armenian Genocide commemoration, as well as a number of community events.

Ward 34 - Don Valley East Peter Karl Youngren is a new candidate in Ward 34, looking to be a fresh face in City Hall. Peter’s ambitions have earned him the support of many of the Armenian community’s friends, including David Caplan, MPP for Don Valley East. We look forward to building on our relationship with Peter once he is elected.

Ward 39 - Scarborough-Agincourt Mike Del Grande is a long time friend of the Toronto Armenian community, having served as councillor for Ward 39 since 2003. During his time in office, he has supported the Armenian community and frequently attends our events.

Ward 40 - Scarborough-Agincourt Norm Kelly has served as a member of Toronto city council since 1994. He has strong support in his ward and remains an important ally to the Armenian Community of Toronto.

Town of Markham

Mayor of the Town of Markham

Frank Scarpitti has served the Town of Markham in various leadership roles since 1985, when he was first elected to the Markham Regional Council. He was elected as Mayor in 2006, and during his time in office has been a friend of the Armenian community. Notably, Frank presented an Armenian Genocide survivor with a gift on behalf of the town at a reception on the occasion of the Town of Markham unanimously passing a motion officially designating April 24 as a day of remembrance for the Armenian community in memory of the Armenian Genocide during the First World War.

Regional Councillors

Jack Heath has served as Deputy Mayor for the Town of Markham since 2007. He has been a strong supporter of the Armenian community, and has been an important figure, sponsoring the annual May 28 Armenian Independence Day ceremony at Markham Town Hall. Jack also sponsored the Town of Markham’s motion officially designating April 24 as a day of remembrance for the Armenian community in memory of the Armenian Genocide during the First World War.

Gordon Landon is the longest serving councillor in the history of Markham. He has served the town well, and has continually supported the Armenian community during his impressive 27 years in politics.

Dan Horchik served as the councillor for Ward 6 this past term, and is now seeking election as a regional councillor. He is a friend of the Armenian community in Markham.

Councillors

Councillor Ward 3 Don Hamilton is running for re-election as councillor for Ward 3. He has supported Armenian events in Markham in the past, including the May 28th Independence day celebrations held at the Markham Town Centre.

Councillor Ward 5 John Webster has served as a councillor for Ward 5 since 2003. He has the strong support of the people in Markham, and has earned the support of the Armenian community by attending our events, such as the May 28th Independence day celebrations.

Councillor Ward 6 Khalid Usman is a new face to Ward 6, but is no stranger to the Armenian community. He has attended Armenian Genocide commemorations in the past, and we look forward to working with him again in the future.

Councillor Ward 7 Logan Kanapathi has served as councillor for Ward 7 since being elected 2006. He has worked closely with the Armenian Community, attending a number of our community events.

Councillor Ward 8 Alex Chiu has served 8 consecutive terms as councillor for Ward 8. He has been involved in the Armenian community and has supported our events and endeavours in the past.

Friday, 22 October 2010

No one is any longer amazed to read stories about Armenian officialsabusing their government posts.

You can no longer shock anyone by writing that this or that person hasspent $500,000 to buy a seat in the National Assembly. It comes as nosurprise to anyone if you prove that the real owner of a commercialenterprise is actually a government official. It’s become the “norm”and has entered the Armenian genetic code. Many can argue that this isthe way it has always been, or that the same situation reignsthroughout the world. And there’s not much in the way of response youcan tell such people. Such effort is pointless. Armenians aren’tcapable of creating their world. Here, naturally, we are not referringto the “Armenian world” as posited by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

What’s actually going on with Armenians today? The myth of theArmenian no longer holds water; it has long since turned to dust.Armenians are destroying their own country, its natural environment.They destroy and then flee the country.

Sometimes, it seems that all this is part of a conspiracy drafted insome unknown place. Such thoughts are fleeting, since there is noconspiracy at work. There is no need for one.

Armenia is being emptied. Armenians are fleeing from their country.

And this doesn’t seem to be of any concern to the authorities incharge. They are only concerned with one thing – holding on to powerand accumulating more wealth. Their souls are money-driven.

Like curses uttered, depopulated villages are blocked up in thecountry’s throat and no government can digest such a reality.Neglected old folk drag their frail bodies through the dusty streetsof ghost towns. They cry out for their departed children in parentallonging and curse this country for their present plight.

It’s a simple fact. This continuing chain of injustice and lawlessnesshas a price – an Armenia being emptied of its people. In the midst ofthis crippling widespread poverty, the price paid for the parties andnightly fireworks, the expensive jeeps, the huge mansions built withmonies ripped off from the taxpayer and a billionaire RobertKocharyan, has been an Armenia being emptied of Armenians. There’s aghostly specter haunting Armenia; the ghost of a dispossessed people.

People still have faith in one another when it comes to daily mattersof life. But broach the subject of this or that government agency andthat faith turns to unbelief. How did we get here, how did we push thecountry to such an abyss? We have even screwed up the army to thepoint of collapse and have made life a living hell for that eighteenyear-old facing the enemy on the frontline. Every Armenian once heldthe national army as an institution to be revered and above reproach.Now look at it.

All the apparatuses of the state and the political parties have a handin the process of emptying Armenia. Not one of them ever says – Holdon a minute, we can’t go on living like this.

Our type of Armenian is not capable of building a country. Armenianslike us only sing one song- the song of a lost fatherland. It’s a sadsong that demands no work in return. It was written a long time ago.We, it seems, have made our choice and have broken down, singing thesong of the lost fatherland.

Over the years we have wasted it all, every square inch ofindependence we won. Step by step, minute by minute we caved inwithout resisting and swallowed one injustice after another.

This giant wheel is now rolling over us all; crushing each of us underits weight.It should come as no surprise that we are now standing on theprecipice. Who can honestly say that we don’t deserve to be where weare today?

Experts: Demography in Armenia may become national security issue04.10.10 | 16:47Members of Sardarapat movement alarm of demography issues in Armenia.By Naira HayrumyanArmeniaNow correspondent

Armenia’s demographic makeup became a topic of public debate followingopposition Armenian National Congress party leader Levon Ter-Petrosyanstating this summer that migration has become a security threat.

“The weakest point of those advocating the preservation of the statusquo (in the Karabakh settlement) is that they have no answer to thequestion of how to stop migration. Thus, demography becomes thequestion of questions, it is demography that since the 11th centuryhas been the cause of all ills of the Armenian people. To disregardthis fact and blindly advocate the status quo means deepening thedemographic crisis and bringing us closer to a national disaster,”said the former president.

However, in its annual report, the National Statistical Service ofArmenia said that as of 1 January 2010, Armenia’s population has grownby 12,500 and now exceeds 3.25 million.

Demography was also a subject of a recently held press conference ofthe initiative group of the movement Sardarapat. The speakers blamedthe government for failing to take steps to prevent migration and,furthermore, encouraging it.

(While statisticians present data for a year-on-year change, expertsmaintain they evaluate the general trend.)

Sardarapat movement member Zhirayr Sefilyan said that a number ofamendments to Russian migration legislation has given citizens ofArmenia more attractive conditions for settling down in Russia.Moreover, he claimed that by agreement with the Armenian authoritiesthe registration of those wishing to move to Russia is being made“without excessive noise”.

Demographics expert Harutyun Mesrobyan said that whereas in 2005-2006Armenians constituted only 5 percent of immigrants in Russia, alreadyin 2008-2009 their number grew to 13.5 percent. Sociologists say thisindex may grow more due to the implementation of a target programbeing offered by Russia.

Experts say that against the backdrop of a demographic boom inArmenia’s neighboring states, especially in Turkey and Azerbaijan,demography is becoming a national security issue. Emigration is causednot only by the hard socio-economic situation in Armenia, but also theatmosphere of legal arbitrariness, violations of human rights andfreedoms, a sense of insurmountable despair and hopelessness, expertssay.

Tatev Monastery bells are ringing marking the launch of the eventsscheduled in Tatev for today. `Tatev's wings' aerial tramway,connecting Tatev-halidzor villages, has been officially launched inthe Armenian province of Syunik today with President Serzh Sargsyanbeing the first tramway passenger, Panorama.am reporter said fromSyunik.

Tatev is hosting also over 800 guests, including the governmentaldelegation, other high officials who have arrived at Tatev to becomewitnesses of Tatev Revival. President Serzh Sargsyan is expected todeliver a speech, the Supreme Patriarch Karekin II will conductblessing.

Spanning 5.7 kilometers across the spectacular Vorotan River Gorge,the Tatev Aerial Tramway, `Tatev's Wings' - the longest passengeraerial tramway in the world - is poised to be one of southernArmenia's most popular attractions.

The Tatev Aerial Tramway has been built by Garaventa, a world leaderin the accessibility industry that has been building award-winningaerial tramways around the world for over 30 years. The design processand foundation work began in 2009, and construction took 11 months,the total expenses estimating as much as 13 mln. euros.

The Tatev Revival Project is designed to revitalize Tatev Monasteryand its surrounding region, highlighting its religious, academic andcultural legacy, and making it a world-class destination. The projectconsists of several components: restoring the monastery, reviving itsmonastic and scholarly tradition, and developing tourism attractionsand infrastructure in the adjacent villages, including the world'slongest aerial tramway.

With several exciting initiatives underway, including the restorationof Tatev Monastery's 17th century oil mill, the development of anetwork of village bed and breakfasts, and a cuisine revival that willhighlight and reinterpret local specialties, a trip to the Tatevregion promises to be highly experiential - an invigorating blend ofculture, nature and adventure. The three-year Tatev Revival Project isone of the frontrunner initiatives of the National CompetitivenessFoundation of Armenia, an independent organization structured as apublic-private partnership and chaired by the Prime Minister ofArmenia. It has a mandate to achieve breakthrough development towardcompetitiveness in key sectors of the Armenian economy, includingtourism, healthcare and education.

OVER 5000 PRISONERS IN ARMENIAnews.amOct 19 2010Armenia

At the moment there are over 5000 prisoners in Armenia, 900 more thanlast year, Armenian Justice Minister Gevorg Danielyan said speakingin the Armenian Parliament.

According to him, the number of prisoners is not high. Statistic showsthat there are 750 imprisoned per 100,000 in U.S., in Russia 650 per100,000, 420 in Georgia and 270 in Azerbaijan. This indicator totalsonly 130 in Armenia. The lowest indicator (80-90 people) is registeredin Europe.

If car owners fail to sign car insurance contacts by January 1, 2011,they will be fined U.S. $140. Insurance companies have no right todeny insurance contacts to car owners or persuade them into signingother contracts.

A Hall of Fame is a kind of museum designed to honour people. Mostly the heroes of our trashy times, like footballers, rock stars, their memorabilia and so on. Boring! Our twilight era is more suited to a hall of infamy, the priest feels. So, off the top of my head, here it goes:

Silvio Berlusconi’s phoney hair. Forget his strumpets, his dodgy millions and all the rest. The hair is the thing. Compares unfavourably with Mussolini, actually. Whilst the Duce’s bald pate anticipated tough action-movie stars like Bruce Willis, Silvio’s transplant alludes to some botched-up Brillo Pad treatment. Verily, the man’s hair-do discloses his ego. Vanity, all things are vanity, as Ecclesiastes says.

De Maistre wrote that every country has the government it deserves. A profound axiom. Does that mean Italians deserve Silvio? They too belong into the infamous hall? Hope not. Yet, there is no credible opposition. The Italian Left is a joke. There is no alternative to Berlusconi. The President of the Republic, Napolitano, an etiolated geriatric who postures as a pater patriae, is an ex-Communist who once cheered the Russian tanks that crushed the 1956 Hungarian revolution. And Silvio keeps winning elections. Famous or infamous, he and his hair are Italy’s destiny.

Auntie. Meaning the BBC. Auntie knows best, they say. But this Auntie definitely belongs in infamy. Why? Its conspiracy of silence. Like the mafia, the BBC thrives on the omerta’ syndrome. Its journalists bend over backwards to ban references to religion or faith – except negative ones. Take the ‘G’ word. When the Chilean miners emerged out of darkness into the light one of them spoke movingly about his faith, the strength it gave him to bear his 33 days ordeal: ‘I was with God and the devil. They fought. God won.’ Other miners echoed his sentiments. Some were shown on their knees, praying. Even the Chilean President spoke of faith. Did you hear/view that on the BBC? Have they made a Faustian pact? Bargained with the devil to keep God out of the news? Unless it is to claim He does not exist, of course. But I know the reason. It is the evil ideology called secularism. The galloping disease of our age. The BBC is one of its chief agents. The sooner the family of Abraham – Muslims, Jews and Christians - manage to slay the monster, the better. St George, patron saint of England, come back and kill the dragon, I beg you!

(Guess I am unfair about Auntie. When even His Lordship the Bishop of Liverpool manages to give a ‘thought for the day’ without even a single time mentioning God or Christ, well, how can you then blame the Beeb’s bosses?)

Sheykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi’s beard. A portly Italian Imam. A most amazing fellow this Professor Palazzi. Ever heard of a qualified Muslim sheykh enthusiastically waving the Star of David flag? I kid you not. This Italian alim says: ‘the Quran shows that God have the land of Israel to the Jews and will restore them to it at the end of days’. And he gives chapter and verse. So Arabs must recognise the state of Israel. The PLO are gangsters... By Allah! I would never have believed it, but I have read the stuff online. Palazzi is not just pazzo, mad. Nor a fake or crazy convert. (Know a few of the latter...) He was born a Muslim. Has plenty of degrees and doctorate validated from the Saudis and Al Azhar University. Yet he goes to America on anti-Palestinian conferences sponsored by Zionist organisations – the Zionist answer to the Neturei Karta brigade, I guess. Italians can be more eccentric than the English when they try. He is so unreal, I almost like him. But my Palestinian friends insist: Palazzi and his bushy beard definitely must abide in the Hall of Infamy.

The shoes thrown at President Bush. It would be pleonastic to urge George Jr into the Hall – he is there already. But here is my wee problem. The shoe-thrower was a Shia. Under Saddam the Sunnis ruled, the Shia were downtrodden, persecuted, could not keep their festivals etcetera. Now thanks to the US invasion the Shia have all their religious freedom and are politically on top. You may argue Bush was the Iraqi Shia’s liberator. This is going to be as popular as the plague but here is a haunting thought: the shoes, their fame – are they really infamous? Or do they perhaps stand for the newly-found Iraq’s freedom and democracy? Huh!

A nun’s discarded wimple. Karen Armstrong’s. An ex-religious. Has acquired a certain reputation as a religious writer. Spirituality, things like that. But why does she remind me a bit of Martin Luther? The German monk who could not keep his monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, so he ferociously denigrated those values, triggering off the reformation. Ms Armstrong also opted out of the convent. Fair enough. If someone discovers she has not got the vocation, that’s right. Just get out. But in her books she constantly slags the Church’s glorious ascetic tradition. Virginity, chastity and sexual abstinence, especially. The key monastic vows – part of the pride of Christianity. All patriarchal, repressive stuff. Very bad. I loathe Freud but... a person who could not/would be a nun - a woman devoted to a key Christian ideal – does she then have to vilify that ideal? The high ideal to which scores of martyrs witnessed with their blood? Sad, sad, sad. March into the hall, lady!

Next is a diagram. That of the London Tube. Bright and coloured, with plenty of famous place names on it, but the reality is infamous. They say Dante based his Inferno on the idea of an underground prison. Were the poet to return, the London Underground would provide a better model. A Tube journey is getting a pretty squalid and dangerous affair. Won’t try to describe it. Tube users know already and those who don’t should steer clear of it. The Government has charitably exempted aid to the third world (‘developing countries’) from the spending cuts but surely charity begins at home. The Tube is a segment of third world snaking throughout London. Utterly third rate. Unworthy of a world metropolis. Truly, its name is infamy.

Monday, 18 October 2010

Varugan Amroyan is led in handcuffs from FBI headquarters in New YorkWednesday, Oct, 13, 2010. Amroyan is one of 73 people across the countrycharged by federal prosecutors in a scheme to cheat Medicare out of $163 million,the largest fraud by one criminal enterprise in the program's history,U.S. authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (AP) - A vast network of Armenian gangsters and their associatesused phantom health care clinics and other means to try to cheat Medicareout of $163 million, the largest fraud by one criminal enterprise in theprogram's history, U.S. authorities said Wednesday.Federal prosecutors in New York and elsewhere charged 73 people. Most ofthe defendants were captured during raids Wednesday morning in New York Cityand Los Angeles, but there also were arrests in New Mexico, Georgia andOhio.The scheme's scope and sophistication "puts the traditional Mafia toshame," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a Manhattan news conference. "Theyran a veritable fraud franchise."Unlike other cases involving crooked medical clinics bribing people to signup for unneeded treatments, the operation was "completely notional,"Janice Fedarcyk, head of the FBI's New York office, said in a statement. "Thewhole doctor-patient interaction was a mirage."The operation was under the protection of an Armenian crime boss, known inthe former Soviet Union as a "vor," prosecutors said. The reputed boss,Armen Kazarian, was in custody in Los Angeles.Bharara said it was the first time a vor - "the rough equivalent of atraditional godfather" - had been charged in a U.S. racketeering case.Kazarian, 46, of Glendale, Calif., and two alleged ringleaders - DavitMirzoyan, 34, also of Glendale, and Robert Terdjanian, 35, of Brooklyn - werenamed in an indictment charging racketeering conspiracy, bank fraud, moneylaundering and identity theft.The indictment accused Terdjanian and others of hatching other schemes involving stolen credit cards, untaxed cigarettes and counterfeit Viagra. It also alleges that during a meeting last year at a Brighton Beach restaurant, Terdjanian pulled a knife on someone who owed him money "and threatened to disembowel the individual if the debt was not paid."A judge jailed Terdjanian without bail on Wednesday at a brief hearing.

Afterward, his attorney said his client denies the charges.Kazarian and Mirzoyan were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in LosAngeles.Authorities began the New York-based investigation after information on2,900 Medicare patients in upstate New York - including Social Securitynumbers and dates of birth - were reported stolen.The defendants in the New York case also had stolen the identities ofdoctors and set up 118 phantom clinics in 25 states, authorities said. The nameswere used to submit fake bills for care that was never given, they said.Some of the phony paperwork was a giveaway: It showed eye doctors doing

bladder tests; ear, nose and throat specialists performing pregnancyultrasounds; obstetricians testing for skin allergies; and dermatologists billingfor heart exams.In the New York portion of the case, more $100 million in fraudulent billswere submitted and Medicare paid out at least $35 million, sometimes bywiring it to the clinics' banks accounts, investigators said.Most of the defendants "were Armenian nationals or immigrants and many maintained substantial ties to Armenia" and criminals there, the indictment said. Couriers would often carry cash proceeds from the fraud back to Armenia,it added.Prosecutors were seeking forfeiture of real estate in Las Vegas; PalmSprings, Calif.; and elsewhere, and of a 2007 Maserati and a 2006 Jaguar.

Talking to NEWS.am, Aram Pinajyan, Head of HSBC Bank Armenia Commercialbanking, reported that 1,035 companies laid claims to the 'Ruband'Honneur' prize. Nine Armenian companies applied for the prize,and three of them are among the 100 winners now.

The winners are selected on the basis of their financial accountsand achievements during a year.

The 'Ruban d'Honneur' is awarded in each of the award categories:The Infosys Business of the Year Award, The RSM InternationalEntrepreneur of the Year Award, The UKTI Award for Innovation, TheAward for Customer Focus, The HSBC Growth Strategy of the Year Award,The Employer of the Year Award, The Award for Corporate Sustainability,The Environmental Awareness Award and the Chairman's Choice Award.

All the 'Ruban d'Honneur' recipient are invited to attend the EuropeanBusiness Awards Gala presentation ceremony at the Westin Hotel inParis on November 16.

A year of super-latives - world's oldest shoe found a couple of months back, Kara Hunge - Armenia's Stone Henge - is older than the UK's according to Cambridge academics and... may the list continue! :)

Continuous threats by Azerbaijan and preconditions by Turkey on resolving Artsakh's status prior to engaging in talks with Armenia, contrary to what was spelled out in the infamous Protocols, prompt us to consider the possibility of an attack on Artsakh and Armenia by our two hostile and belligerent neighbours. Is such an invasion unthinkable? There have been many martial instances when the “unthinkable” has materialized. The present context of rivalries and overt provocations by Azerbaijan cannot be dismissed with simple theoretical assumptions that negate such an attack.

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NEW TURKISH-ENGLISH BOOK TO SHED LIGHT ON HISTORYOF AKHTAMARTert.am08:44 11.10.10

Despite being an object of dispute between Turks and Armenians,the historic Surb Khach Church (Holly Cross) on Akhtamar Island hasalso recently paved the way for dialogue between Armenian and Turkishscholars, writes Turkish Daily News.

Ara Sarafyan, director of the London-based Komitas Institute, andOsman Koker, owner of Birzamanlar Publications, have published abook about Akhtamar Island. The book is titled "Aghtamar: A Jewel ofMedieval Armenian Architecture / Akhtamar: Ortacag Ermeni Mimarlgi'ninMucevheri" and is available in both English and Turkish.

Armenian General Benevolent Union, or AGBU, one of the most importantorganizations in the Diaspora, gave its support to the book, whichKoker and Sarafyan wrote from research conducted by Armenian StepanMnatsakanian in 1980.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the book is its drawings ofthe Surb Khach Church. Speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News, Sarafyansaid, "I realized that Turkish people are interested in the historyof this land."

Koker shared the reasons he and Sarafyan published the book. "Bypublishing this type of book, we are trying to raise public awareness,"he said. "The traditional historical ideology should be broken inTurkey, and I think this book will help do that."

Noting that many Armenian cultural sites in Anatolia have been damaged,and kept away from their rightful owners, Sarafyan said, "There is abig paradox here, because the ownership of Armenian cultural sites isnot written in the Van Archaeology Museum, but the Surb Khach Churchis now open to worship." He admitted that Turkey has made importantsteps toward democracy, but not enough has been done.

"I noticed the dialogue between the Turks and Armenians improvingduring the worship," he said. "The Diaspora may react negativelyto what I am saying, but I think this shows progress. No positivedevelopment should be ignored."

Sarafyan said he and Koker deliberately published the booksimultaneously with the opening of the church. "Everyone was talkingabout the church, but no one was aware of its historical significance,"he said.

"I totally agree with him, and believe that our work was verysuccessful," said Koker. "Since 2007, everyone has been debating whichcross should be displayed on the dome of the church, but nobody knowsthe building's historical significance. I have been conducting researchon the history of Armenians for years, and even I was not aware ofthe historical significance of the island until preparing this book.

"The island was the capital of the Armenian kingdom of Artsruni,"said Koker. "A palace, a tower and some houses were built on theisland. It was not a place where priests lived in seclusion."

Asked about the architectural drawings on the back of the book, Kokersaid, "These drawings and figures will enable people to understand theisland in a more general sense. We did not want the book to be thick.

We wanted it to be an easy read."

Noting that Anatolia has been home to various civilizations throughouthistory, Koker said, "We always choose to forget the history of thisland. We are all under the impression that everything began and hascontinued with Turks. This is mainly because the new generation iscomprised of many nationalist and discriminatory individuals. Thisis why differences are not tolerated. It is time to break away fromthis way of thinking."

Koker also said he was very excited about the interest the book hasgarnered. "I know that this interest will increase in the future. Ashistorical awareness increases, people will be more willing toprotect it."

ArmInfoNew ecologic threat hangs over Armenian town of Alaverdi2010-10-15 15:04:00

ArmInfo. A new threat hanged over the Armenian town of Alaverdi, theecology of which is in a deplorable state.

According to Head of OSCE grant programme Larisa Paremuzyan, Alaverdicopper plant intends to transfer the pipeline to Koshaberd, as aresult of which new regions within a radius of 2,5 km will be affectedby emissions. These regions include Lalvar forest, as well as Odzunand Haghpat settlements.

"I think that transfer of the pipeline just imitates the plant'smanagement concern over the ecology issues", L. Paremuzyan toldArmInfo.

According to the report "Geo Alaverdi - environment and towndevelopment", Alaverdi plant annually discharges 25,000 tons ofsulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. The soil within the radius of 3km from the enterprise is contaminated with heavy metals, theconcentration of which exceeds the maximum allowable rates from 20 to40 times. For example, copper concentration exceeds the maximumpermissible concentration 32,3 times, and concentration of lead - 16,0times. Moreover, the soil is contaminated with such elements asmercury, arsenic, molybdenum and nickel.

According to the town residents, the plant's emissions in cloudy andwindy weather fall on the town. Moreover, this fog has its specificsmell of hydrogen sulfide, sulphur dioxide and natural gas, which isused in production. According to specialists' estimates, just theindustrial and photochemical smog is the most aggressive for people'sbreathing passages. Increase of NO2 gas (nitrogen dioxide) and SO2(sulphur dioxide) in the atmosphere affects morbidity with bronchialasthma.

According to a report released by the Statistical Service of Armenia,the consumer price index was 107% this January-September as comparedwith last January-September.

If considered month by month, the consumer price index showsinconsistent trends. Specifically, it showed an upward trend thisJanuary-April (107% up to 108%). However, lower inflation rates - downto 107.3% - were registered from January to June.

If we compare the periods from January to July and from January toSeptember, higher inflation rates were registered - from 107.4% up to107.8%. This is evidence that prices do not show any downward trend.

Many experts think that the rise in prices for agricultural produce,particularly crop production, was the main cause of inflation. Thisyear's unfavorable weather destroyed a considerable part of fruit andvegetables, which caused a jump in market prices. Specifically, thefruit prices showed a 10% rise, prices for vegetables and potatoesrose by 22.6%. The general rise in food prices was 7.6%, being only0.2% lower than the consumer price index.

That is, the rise in food prices, which maintained general inflationtrends, was not the only `generator' of the inflation level. We get aclearer picture if we consider the rise in prices in commodity groupsand for paid services. Among the groups showing a higher-than-generalinflation are footwear and clothing, which show an 11.6% rise, rentand utilities (an 11.8% rise), transport and communication (an 8%rise) and other goods and services (a 9.1% rise).

Thus, a higher price rise was mostly registered among essential goodsand services, which had a negative impact on consumption. This yearretail trade turnover has hardly made any progress compared with thecorresponding period last year.

Yerevan. The World Bank has predicted a growth rate of less than 4percent this year for Armenia, Xinhua informed.

While updating growth predictions for Europe and Central Asia, theWorld Bank maintained its prediction for the South Caucasus region at3.9 percent.

World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Philippe leHouerou said that the recovery in the region would be not onlymoderate but jobless as well.

Main drivers behind recovery, however, will be exports and capitalinflows, the official added.

Philippe le Houerou explained that the World Bank's policy in theregion would be placed on managing three key challenges -- competitivestrategies, salvation of a strong social protection and energyefficiency.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), also modified downward its 2010growth prediction for Armenia from 4.8 percent to 4 percent in lateSeptember.

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, October 14, 2010, the Honorable Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia visited the Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region office as part of her continuing visit to the Armenian-American Diaspora communities. The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr. Jeff Paretchan, Public Private Alliance Specialist at USAID Armenia and her executive assistant, Ms. Susan Christy.

Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region Chairman Ara Aghishian, Esq. and Board members welcomed the Ambassador. During the meeting, the Ambassador was briefed about Armenia Fund’s past projects, including the recently completed ones, as well as future plans. The Ambassador also took time to discuss U.S.-Armenia relations, issues of importance to the Armenian-American community, as well as presented members with the works of the U.S. Embassy.

“I was really pleased to be able to meet with Board members of Armenia Fund to discuss U.S. programs in Armenia, the important work the Armenia Fund is doing, and bilateral U.S.-Armenia relations,” stated Yovanovitch.

“Ever since her appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Ms. Yovanovitch has sought to maintain a productive, open dialogue with the greater Armenian-American community. I thank her personally for this visit, as well as her efforts for a stronger U.S.-Armenia relationship,” stated Aghishian.U.S. Ambassador Yovanovitch flanked by Armenia Fund Board members

Organization members of Armenia Fund’s board that were present at the meeting included: the Armenian Cultural Foundation, the Armenian Relief Society, Nor Serount Cultural Association, Tekeyan Cultural Association, the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Armenian Assembly of America.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $200 million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698

If you are a Canadian resident and your workplace participates in the annual United Way campaign, then this message is for you!

Did you know that when making a contribution to the United Way campaign you can designate the Armenian Community Centre as your preferred charity? United Way will transfer your generous donation of $25 or more to the Armenian Community Centre, who in turn will mail you an official tax deductible receipt.

To designate the Armenian Community Centre as your preferred charity all you need to do is designate the charity number while making your donation.